Mother of three hit by falling tree in Central Park plans $200M lawsuit

(NEW YORK) — A New York City mother of three, who was injured while trying to shield her children from a falling tree in New York City’s Central Park last month, plans to sue the city and the park, her attorney said Tuesday.

The woman, 39-year-old Monoky Goldman, plans to file a $200 million notice of claim against the city and the Central Park Conservancy, which said the tree was uprooted due to decay beneath the surrounding pavement, her attorney, Jordan Merson, told ABC’s New York station WABC-TV on Tuesday.

Goldman was pushing her 4-year-old and 2-year-old in a stroller and carrying her infant in her arms on Aug. 15 when a 75-foot tree snapped and crashed on her. She was pinned on the ground for about 10 minutes before firefighters freed her, authorities said.

Goldman was hospitalized for weeks with a fractured vertebra, along with other injuries, and her 2-year-old son is suffering from a brain hemorrhage and concussion, according to WABC-TV.

“Ms. Monoky risked her life and body to save her children, and she has paralysis-threatening injuries,” Merson said in a written statement.

Goldman was released from the hospital last week, but she is unable to get out of bed, according to her attorney, who said her neck and back are immobilized.

A bystander told WABC-TV last month that he was walking by the park as police approached the scene.

“She didn’t see it coming, and it just fell right on top of her,” the man said of the woman. He described hearing the crack of the tree as a “big log snapping” that “fell real fast.”